The ballot for catcher was very difficult to create; some fans will be irritated with the exclusion of Mike Piazza from the ballot, while others might be surprised that Hall of Fame catcher Bill Dickey is absent as well. Piazza was one of the great offensive players the Mets ever had, true, but Carter’s handling of the Mets pitching staff gave him the edge to our panel of experts. As for Dickey, Berra was simply a better player.

The rest of the ballot is even more subjective than the rest of the entire ballot, and probably will be split along fan loyalty lines, but we have been surprised by this type of voting before. In any event, we’ve allowed each ballot to have a write-in option, so if we’ve omitted any candidate for any spot, fee free to do so.

Some will say that the greatest GM in Mets history isn’t even on this list, but I’ll let the ones who think that write in his name. As for Chub Feeney, though he never actually held the title of GM for Horace Stoneham, someone had to run things while Stoneham was “in his cups”.

I vote for Number 8 – Yankee Immortal Bill Dickey – the man who taught Yogi how to catch. No doubt Yogi & Campy belong at the top, too, but, for me, as great as they were, Dickey was an even better catcher & team leader. It’s much like choosing between. DiMaggio, Mantle & Mays. You can’t go wrong.

It’s ridiculous to exclude Mike Piazza from such a catcher ballot. You must consider a catcher’s entire job – defense, handlng pitchers, and hitting. Gary Carter would be Piazza’s backup on any alltime Mets team.

It is my belief the baseball writers still do not know how to handle relief pitchers/firemen/closers with regards to being a legitimate position, and as to whether the Save stat is an anomaly. When the Save rule was changed into its modern form, yes, it changed things considerably. The age of the Goose Gossage type fireman was over. But that is a separate debate. Fact is, Lee Smith was of the most fearsome pitchers opposing batters ever had the displeasure of facing. He was big, intimidating on the mound, highly effective, and one of the most dominant players at his position for at least a ten year period. He retired as the all-time Saves king, and is still ranked third on the list. He retired after the 1997 season, so it can be argued his accomplishments as a closer are withstanding the tests of time. He is one of only five closers to surpass 400 saves in a career. It is time to open up the doors to a legitimate and dominant closer of the day.